From a small island sitting atop the world's second largest barrier reef, Smithsonian scientists as well as visiting scientists from throughout the world are able to study a continuous ocean environment from mangrove communities to coral reef.
Photographers Carl Hansen and Laurie Minor-Penland, from the National Museum of Natural History branch of the Office of Printing and Photographic Services, conducted an underwater photographic survey off Belize. There they documented underwater transitions...the changing sea life and ocean floor from the mangrove community to the edge of the coral reef drop-off.
Their work was designed to provide a photographic comparison between areas scientists had already studied, and areas where research had not yet been done. The survey covered depths ranging from 5-80 feet.
The photographs on the following pages are divided into portfolios by each photographer. In addition to photographs from the Belize survey, there are also a selection of images ranging from the Florida Keys to the Republic of Panama, where the Smithsonian operates the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.